"If you ask any of the nurses or doctors who work in our casualty wards or emergency wards, heaps of people present in high-viz [visibility] clothes from construction sites who have been hurt," he said.

"A lot of them are in situations where they don't claim or report the incident, because they're being paid cash or the employer decides to pay them out.

"A lot of people don't know their rights, they're just told to go on sick leave."

Mr Hall says workers are being discouraged from talking about safety.

"If you complain or you jump up and down about safety usually you don't have a job," he said.

"That's the nature of the construction industry. People label people who talk or complain about safety as trouble-makers.

"It's driven by the fact that safety takes time, money and effort, and people who are trying to maximise the profit on construction sites don't want to be caught up on something that might take them too much time or cost them money."

Mr Hall says the ACT Government needs to more involved in worksite safety.

"If you additionally add the fact that there's people dying hand-over-fist from things like mesothelioma from exposure to asbestos, the national death toll of construction workplaces is higher than the road toll," he said.

"The disproportion of the allocation of resources is causing a problem."

'Better reporting'

ACT executive director of the Master Builders Association (MBA) John Miller says the majority of people are doing the right thing.

"I think in many ways this jurisdiction does report more," he said.

"One area where this community has been well attuned to is the need to report and deal in paperwork.

"I think our reporting is strong in the Territory."

But Mr Miller says he supports further investment in safety.

"We've got people who are investing strongly in safety and the percentage of their revenue going into safety are quite substantial.

"Well obviously we've got to make sure that costs are maintained, but [also] that our people aren't using costs to short-cut safety.

"We've had all our commercial builders in looking at different ways that they can address the safety issue recently.

"That's a cost to them and they'll continue to invest in that way."

More inspectors

The ACT Government says it will boost the number of workplace inspectors and on-the-spot fines.

The report made 28 recommendations with the ACT Government immediately agreeing to seven of them.

"It reveals an entrenched culture that sees safety as an administrative burden and as a financial cost, rather than something that is first and foremost a moral obligation, but also something which is good for business," he said.

Mr Corbell says the Government will also aim to cut serious injury claims by 35 per cent by 2016 and improve communication between the ACT Planning and Land Authority (ACTPLA) and WorkSafe ACT.

"These [recommendations] include the establishment of a target to reduce the level of serious injury claims in the Territory, to increase the number on the spot fines available to inspectors to deal with breaches of work safety laws and to continue to establish the Labor election commitment of an Industrial magistrates court," he said.

The Government says it will respond to each recommendation by the end of February 2013.